


Ace =/= Aro

by Unforth



Series: Tumblr Ficlets: Supernatural [13]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Aromantic Dean, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 05:38:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10780668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unforth/pseuds/Unforth
Summary: Ficlet written to the Tumblr Prompt: Aro Dean calls Cas "buddy" and "pal" and "devastatingly handsome friend" because he really believes that and the guy's really, *really* hot and always licks his lips because they're so chapped and dry. Dean obviously has to kiss him to get him to stop. Only problem is, Cas thought Dean was ace, not aro (thank you very much, small town gossip, for mixing everything up), and he is very confused by this.





	Ace =/= Aro

**Author's Note:**

> The past couple weeks, I've taken prompts for short fics and written and posted them on Tumblr. I wanted to post them on AO3 as well but have been considering how best to do so. A quick survey of my subscribers and followers suggests that people would prefer if I post them all as individual stories and put them in a series together instead of as multiple chapters on the same file or any other of several options, so that's what I'm doing.
> 
> Please note that I generally do not take "out of nowhere" prompts, cause I don't have time, but I will sometimes ask people to send me ideas and I'll write them in the order I receive them. 
> 
> You can follow me on Tumblr at [unforth-ninawaters](unforth-ninawaters.tumblr.com).
> 
> Make sure you read the prompt! 
> 
> [~original post~](http://unforth-ninawaters.tumblr.com/post/160186946293/aro-dean-calls-cas-buddy-and-pal-and)
> 
> Prompt, from gabrielthemoose:  
> Aro Dean calls Cas "buddy" and "pal" and "devastatingly handsome friend" because he really believes that and the guy's really, *really* hot and always licks his lips because they're so chapped and dry. Dean obviously has to kiss him to get him to stop. Only problem is, Cas thought Dean was ace, not aro (thank you very much, small town gossip, for mixing everything up), and he is very confused by this.

Drawing away hesitantly, Dean frowns at Cas. Sure, explicit consent and all that jazz is great, but Dean usually has a pretty good bead on when people were into him and he’d been so _sure_ …but Cas hadn’t kissed him back.

“You know you don’t have to do that, right?” Cas’ tentative words were a perfect mirror of Dean’s uncertain thoughts.

“I…I think that’s my line?” Dean said, confusion growing.

“It’s okay, Dean,” said Cas, running a soothing hand down the slope that Dean’s arm made as he rested his hand on the arm rest of Cas’ chair. “You’re not wrong that I’ve been…that I’ve _grown_  attracted to you, but I need you to remember: that’s _my_  problem, not yours. You’ve done nothing wrong and you owe me nothing.”

Dean’s jaw dropped.

“Wha?” he managed. He shook his head, rattling his brain in a vain effort to process what Castiel had just said and _what the fuck it meant_. “Um…dude? You okay? Like…duh? It’s just a kiss. Heck, if you wanted _more_  than a kiss, that’d be cool with me. You’re hot, and _I’m_  hot, and I think we’d be pretty fuckin’ hot together. In case you didn’t know, I’ve got a single, _and_  I’m single, and _you’re_  single, so…” Dean emphasized the point with a lewd wink.

Now Castiel looked stunned. “Oh,” he said faintly. “I think…I think perhaps there’s been a miscommunication.”  _Uh oh_. Dean’s stomach sank. “Charlie…Charlie told me you were asexual?”

Before he could stop himself, Dean snorted a laugh, another, rolled back in his chair and let it all come out. “Oh _God_ ,” he gasped between peals of uproarious laughter. “Holy _shit_  that couldn’t be _more wrong_ , did she really say that?”

“Um…I thought that’s what she said,” Cas confirmed. “But maybe I misunderstood?”

“A _romantic_ , Cas!” Dean exclaimed. “Fuck, God no, I’m not ace - not that there’s anything wrong with being ace, but…damn! No wonder you’ve been sending me mixed signals.”

“Aromantic?” echoed Castiel weakly. “That…um…that does ring a bell, now that you say it, but I guess I thought I misheard? I’m, uh, not familiar with that one…”

“It’s pretty easy,” Dean replied, lounging in his chair. Oh, yeah, he could work with _this_  now that he understood the problem. “Right, there’s heterosexual - physically attracted to the opposite gender; homosexual - physically attracted to the same gender; bisexual - physically attracted to both genders, if we’re going to buy into the idea there are only two genders, I mean, the gender spectrum complicates all of this but you get the idea; and there’s asexual - lacking physical attraction toward any gender. Well, there’s also a _romanticism_  scale - heteroromantic, _romantically_  attracted to the opposite gender, homoromantic, biromantic, you get it?”

“So _aromantic_  would mean ‘lacking romantic attraction toward any gender?’” posited Castiel. Dean nodded. “How does that…how does that actually _work_?”

“Differently for different folk.” Dean shrugged. “In my case? Mostly one night stands with men and women who then get annoyingly pissed that I don’t call the next day even though I warned them it was only a one night stand and I don’t _do_  relationships. They’re just…relationships are just such a pain in the ass.”

“That’s not true,” Castiel said, voice going strident. Dean’s stomach sank again. He’d had it up to his eyeballs with people who denied the existence of his aromanticism, and he’d _truly_  thought better of Castiel. “You _do_  do relationships. What do you think we have, Dean?”

“Uh…we’re friends…?” said Dean. This was already going cockeyed from what he’d expected. Again. Say what he might about Cas, at least the guy was always full of surprises.

“And isn’t friendship a relationship?” Cas continued patiently.

“That’s different,” Dean protested.

“So if we went back to your single, are you saying it’d only be a one-time affair?” Cas asked.

The question took Dean by surprised. The answer that sprang to his lips - _well, duh, of course, isn’t that what I just said?_  - suddenly seemed off - wrong - and he paused, snapped his mouth shut, frowned, and pondered _why_. 

_Because Cas is my friend._

_If Cas wanted to fuck more than once, I’d be okay with that. I mean, assuming he doesn’t suck in the sack._

_Okay, that was badly worded. I really, really,_ really _hope Castiel sucks in the sack, and likes to_ be _sucked in the sack, and all that jazz._

_Cas is hot._

_Assuming the sex is good…_

“I guess I figured…yeah?” said Dean hesitantly.

“But we’d still be friends, right? Our _existing_  relationship as people who enjoy each other’s company wouldn’t be negatively impacted by us having sex, would it?” There was a triumphant gleam in Cas’ eye. It was a good look on him. Dean kinda wanted to kiss him senseless, and ride his cock into oblivion.

“Friends with benefits, eh?” Dean replied thoughtfully. Cas nodded. “Yeah…yeah, that actually sounds…kinda awesome. I mean, no commitment or nothing - if we don’t like the first time, we can stop - and just to be clear, we’re not talkin’ exclusive, right?”

“Of course not.” The best part was that there wasn’t a _trace_  of disappointment in Castiel’s voice.

_Wow. This might…this might actually work!_

“Ya know I was serious about _now_ , right? We’ve both got some time, I’ve got a room to myself, and…” Dean trailed off as Cas stood up.

“Good,” Cas said, leaning forward to whisper in his ear, “but I hope you don’t have class later, ‘cause by the time I’m done with you, you won’t be sitting comfortably for a week.”

 _Oh…yeah…this is_ definitely _going to work._


End file.
